Impact 100 Garden State, which has returned to local communities a total of more than one million philanthropic dollars after only five years of operation in Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Sussex counties, has announced six finalists for its two 2017 grants.

These latest grants, totaling $282,000, will be the ninth and tenth significant grants awarded to local nonprofits by the membership of Impact 100 Garden State.

On November 8, at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, Impact members and guests will listen to the finalists’ presentations and then members will vote to select the two recipients. Each will receive a grant of $141,000.

The finalists are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern NJ, Mountain Lakes, for their program, mentor2.0, in North Plainfield; Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, for their program, Arts Access for All Abilities Initiative, in Morris County and beyond; Oasis–A Haven for Women and Children, Paterson, for their program, Teaching Women Reaching Children in Paterson; Project Self-Sufficiency, Newton, for their program, PSS Pop-Up Shop, in Sussex County and bordering Morris County communities; The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, Boonton, for their West Brook Preserve Project in Passaic County; and Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania, headquartered in Princeton, for their program, United We Create, in Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Sussex counties.

More than 50 Impact 100 Garden State members participated in the rigorous process of evaluating 85 compelling proposals, conducting site visits, and selecting the finalists. Donna McNamara and Storm Rose, co-chairs of the grants operations committee, who coordinated the grant process this year, applauded the members. “They deserve a big round of applause for their steadfast dedication. We are delighted to present these six outstanding finalists to our membership for their vote.” They also note that geographically the finalists’ programs include all four counties that Impact 100 Garden State represents.

Impact 100 Garden State follows a model for collective women’s philanthropy now used by more than 39 independent Impact 100 organizations around the world. Each member contributes $1,000 toward membership and the entire amount funds grants for nonprofit programs that will transform their local communities.

Impact 100 Garden State is a Special Project Fund of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, which supports charitable giving focused on making NJ communities stronger. The 2017 Annual Awards Meeting is sponsored by BNY Mellon, Wealth Management.